The story of Anwaa Monday, May 27, 2002

She was only 12 years. Anwaa has just finished her final exams three days
ago. Immediately after writing the last exam of her seventh grade school
year, the little girl, Anwaa Abu Said, from Al Buriej area, middle of Gaza
Strip, decided to visit her aunt to celebrate the beginning of her summer
holiday.

Her aunt Kamla lives in a small village few KM north of Al Buriej area
and not far from the Israeli border

In recent months, Israeli tanks have repeatedly carried military incursions
into farming areas, destroying fields, trees and homes as a collective
punishment against the Palestinian civilian population as a whole.

When Anwaa reached her aunt痴 home, Kamla (the aunt) and Anwaa took a herd
of sheep for grazing and take a walk into the beautiful greenery surrounding
the small village of Juhr Al deik, in middle of Gaza Strip. The 12-year-old
Anwaa was longing for this visit as she made it her first plan for the
beginning of the summer holiday.

Hours later, as the two were walking together, they heard the sound of
tank firing and shelling. Israeli tanks have invaded the farm area and
surrounded it along with jeeps and soldiers. Anwaa and her aunt Kamla tried
to hide inside the wheat field.

But the tanks kept firing in all directions including the wheat field where
the two were hiding. Fired shells fragments hit both of them. Anwaa and
her aunt were killed on the spot.

And suddenly, the field caught in fire. Within minutes the whole field
was a raging huge flame of fire. The bodies of the two women were completely
burned.

Later, the two burned bodies were taken to the nearest hospital located
15 KM south of Gaza City in Deir Al Balah town. Crowds gathered after hearing
the sad news of Anwaa and her aunt. The news generated a deep sorrow to
the community of the village.

One young man commented, ・Israeli army killed those two innocent child
and woman. The army says that they will investigate. They will never do
anything. The investigation will not bring back Anwaa and Kamla.

About two months ago, in the same area, one Israeli tank fired a direct
hit at a Mother with her 5 children. They all belong to a family called
Al awawda from the Al buriej area in middle of Gaza Strip.

The mother and her children were riding a donkey cart returning back to
their home. The one single shell, fired from an Israeli tank, killed the
mother with four of the children. Only one of her children was safe.

The following day, the surviving boy appeared in the front pages of major
national newspapers, kneeling down in front of the corpses of his mother
and the four brothers and sisters. Millions were broken hearted and deeply
saddened by that tragedy.

Israeli military is still continuing incursions and tank shelling throughout
the occupied Palestinian territories. Every day there are similar stories
of Israeli atrocities and aggression against armless civilians in villages
and towns in both West Bank and Gaza Strip.